A/N: hey there! the chapter is up quite late, sorry, I got home really late and wanted to read it over again. To be completely honest, I, personally, don't like this chapter, so I won't even be surprised if you don't either. Though the chanbaek interaction is close to none (yeah, sorry, again) I felt like I needed to write the scenes between Jongdae and Chanyeol, and then between Jongin and Baekhyun. I have the next chapter scripted in my mind and now I just have to write it down, so I can already tell you that the next chapter is definitely going to be full of chanbaek. 

As always, thanks for you comments, upvotes, subscribing and generally taking the time to read this story. I had a huge problems with writing this chapter (and as I mentioned, I'm not satisfied in the slightest), but all of the nice comments you left on this fic have encouraged me to write it, so thank you :) I love you guys xx

For any questions, here's my TUMBLR

--

 

 

On the way to work, Chanyeol searches for the photos his mother talked about, guessing that if they were in the morning show, they will be on the website too. He doesn’t have a problem finding them and without bothering to read the whole article, Chanyeol just scrolls down until the photos come to view.

The quality is pretty good, Chanyeol thinks. By the angle, he supposes that the photos were taken by someone who was sitting by the windows, and he vaguely remembers seeing a few teenage girls sitting around a big table in the corner. Most probably it was them who took the photos, not like it’s important right now.

What’s important is that unlike the last time, Baekhyun’s face can be easily recognized by just one look at the photos.

Not only Chanyeol disappointed Baekhyun yesterday because he couldn’t keep his in his pants, now Baekhyun’s face appears again on the same page as before, but now in perfect quality. He doesn’t know how will Baekhyun react to this, but when he picks him up from work today, Chanyeol can apologize to him for this too, among other things.

Pick him up. It sounds strange, when Chanyeol thinks about it.

Pushing the thoughts aside, he steps out of the elevator and makes his way toward Jongdae’s office. Chanyeol figures that Jongdae has already heard about the dinner with Baekhyun from somewhere, and it’s better to go to him as soon as possible in order to straightens things up because Chanyeol doesn’t want his best friend to burst into his office and kill him in cold blood.

He greets Minseok with a warm smile and the receptionist returns it and bows slightly, but then continues to type something into his computer furiously without looking at the keyboeard even once, a skill that Chanyeol still doesn’t posses after all these years. If he doesn’t look at his keyboard every ten seconds, it’s for sure that he’ll make a mistake.

Jongdae’s secretary isn’t at her desk, and Chanyeol is glad for that, since he can take one last deep breath and compose himself before opening the door to Jongdae’s office after knocking on the door lightly. When Jongdae looks up at him from his desk and frowns, Chanyeol gulps audibly and closes the door behind himself carefully, leaning his back against them afterwards.

"Let me explain,“ Chanyeol quickly says when he sees Jongdae opening his mouth, the intensity of Chanyeol’s gaze making Jongdae listen to his friend’s request. Jongdae crosses his arms on his chest and leans back on his chair, rising his eyebrows to let Chanyeol know that he can start explaining himself.

"I asked him out for a friendly dinner after work because he seemed frustrated. Food always helps, right?“ Chanyeol asks and laughs a little, but Jongdae’s expression remains unimpressed and stoic. Clearing his throat awkwardly when his attempt to ease the mood doesn't work, Chanyeol continues. "He said no like five times, but in the end he agreed. I promised not to try anything, said that if I break the promise he can up and leave. I haven’t done anything a friend wouldn’t do.“

"I know you, Chanyeol. There’s something you’re not telling me,“ Jongdae says with furrowed brows, not believing that Chanyeol would actually be good for once, and the guilty expression that settles on Chanyeol's face is telling him that Jongdae is indeed right and there is more to the story.

Chanyeol wants to lie and tell him that nothing happened, but Jongdae deserves to know. He probably would have found about it from Baekhyun, or that Kyungsoo guy either way. It’s better if Jongdae hears it from Chanyeol himself. "After driving him home... I tried to kiss him.“

"You what?!“

"Keyword being tried. He put his hand on my mouth before I could do anything,“ Chanyeol clarifies. "He said... some things to me then, but the point is that I feel like because of it now. I want to apologize to him today, but I thought you would like to know about this from me. So... yeah.“

The silence that follows is crushing, and Chanyeol wants nothing more than to run out of Jongdae’s office and hide somewhere for at least three days until breathing the same air with Jongdae won’t be so damn suffocating. As Chanyeol looks at Jongdae’s face, the latter's expression is unreadable. The way he's looking at Chanyeol is a mix of many emotions, but the CEO is sure that none of the emotions are positive. To be honest, Jongdae actually look like he could kill Jongdae in cold blood and wouldn't even feel bad about it. 

"You really think that Baekhyun is that easy? That if you take him out for dinner, he'll sleep with you just like that?" Jongdae asks, throwing the pen he was holding across the table angrily and stands up. Chanyeol immediately straightens up, watching Jongdae carefully. "I told you to stay away from him, but of course you wouldn't listen."

"I don't think he's easy. It was-"

"Why did you try to kiss him, then? The moment you told me that you're okay with just being his friend, I knew that something like this would happen. That's why I didn't want you anywhere near him," as Jongdae makes his way toward him, Chanyeol gulps visibly and tenses, expecting a punch or at least a slap across his face, but the blow Chanyeol was awaiting doesn't come. His friend stops right in front of Chanyeol's face, pointing his finger at the CEO while fuming furiously, but doesn't make any physical contact. "Do you even know what you've caused for not being able to keep your stupid in your pants?"

Chanyeol is still angry at himself because of what happened, and he gets that the little trust Baekhyun associated with Chanyeol vanished into thin air the second he tried to kiss him after driving him home, and maybe Baekhyun hates him more than anyone for betraying his trust like that, but that doesn't give Jongdae any right to over-react so much. It's not like he tried to him. "I get that Baekhyun is your friend and all, but don't you think you're over-reacting?"

"You don't understand anything," Jongdae hisses, his words laced with poisonous venom. 

"Enlighten me, then," Chanyeol challenges sarcastically. He came here with the intention of solving this quickly, but he's getting too tired from always hearing Jongdae lecturing him about Baekhyun. The guy isn't a kid, he doesn't need so much protection.

"I can't. It's not my story to tell, and I respect Baekhyun's privacy," Jongdae says sternly. Although Chanyeol wants to be angry at him for being so shady about Baekhyun when Chanyeol and Jongdae are best friends and have always talked to each other about everything, the spark of curiosity ignites in him and instead of being angry, Chanyeol pushes more to get the information he wants. What can be so bad about Baekhyun's past that Chanyeol can't know about it? 

"Oh, come on. It can't be that private."

"It doesn't concern you," Jongdae turns him down right away. "Now that we both know you can't keep your hands off Baekhyun, it's better if you just stay away from him from now on."

"No," Chanyeol shakes his head, and Jongdae's eyes go wide at hearing the word. 

Jongdae composes himself after a while, his shocked expression being replaced by the furious one from before. Through gritted teeth, Jongdae says, "Don't you get that you can hurt him with your reckless behavior? Are you really that selfish, Chanyeol?"

"I just want to apologize to him, okay?" letting out a deep sigh, Chanyeol swats Jongdae's hand away from his face. He hates when someone points their finger on him. "If he tells me to off, I will."

"I don't believe you."

"You're my best friend, you should."

Another silence comes, and the two of them just stare at each other with intensity. For all these years, they have never argued so frequently about something. The word tension wasn't even in their vocabularies, since they were always able to solve the problems between them in a matter of minutes, but the moment Baekhyun came crashing into Chanyeol's life, tension is what describes Jongdae's and Chanyeol's relationship. 

"If you don't believe me, then come too," Chanyeol breaks the silence after a while, the idea forming in his head. "You can keep an eye on me the whole time, mom."

"Fine. You apologize for being a and then go," Jongdae agrees, stepping away from Chanyeol and going back to his table, throwing himself in his chair. 

"No, no. I want him to give me a second chance and-"

"You just don't know when to back down, but this is going too far. Stop playing with his feelings, Chanyeol," talking some sense into Chanyeol is never easy, but this time it's twice as hard as usual, if not even more. Getting the fact that he's being selfish now into Chanyeol's stupid head looks like an impossible task, but Jongdae won't just go along with what Chanyeol wants this time.

"I'm not doing that."

"You ing are, how come you don't see it? Baekhyun's been hurt enough already, and you're not helping with playing around," Jongdae growls.

"I'll be good this time," seeing Jongdae's eye roll, Chanyeol adds quickly. "I swear."

"He'll tell you to go yourself either way."

"We'll see."

 

--

 

The whole plan to apologize to Baekhyun during his lunch break shatters when his father calls him, telling Chanyeol that he wants to meet with him in an hour. Not accepting his father’s lunch invitation is not an option, so Chanyeol tells Jongdae that he has to cancel their lunch plans. Jongdae says that it's okay, but the subtle bitter tone is giving him away. Chanyeol doesn't comment on it, though.

He drives to the restaurant they always meet in his car, faster than he’s allowed to, and prays that there aren’t any cops around. Chanyeol wants to have this over with as soon as possible, the formal conversation with his father in that god forsaken restaurant always being as unpleasant as it can be. If his father does not talk to him about business, he scolds Chanyeol for his horrible life style or love life.

Unlike his mother, who tries to talk some sense to him while smiling at her only son like an angel, his father practically spits to his face that Chanyeol is a disgrace to the family and should settle down before all the fine women who would possibly want Park‘s good-for-nothing son as a husband find someone else. After appearing on that stupid channel this morning, Chanyeol knows that this time it won’t be any different.

He arrives to the restaurant in fifteen minutes, already seeing his father drinking red vine from his glass. Clearing his throat quietly so nobody would hear, Chanyeol starts walking in the direction of his father, cursing himself for not double-checking how he looks, not wanting to get scolding about his appearance too.

"You’re finally here,“ his father says before Chanyeol can greet him, taking a sip of his vine delicately. He gestures for his son to sit down, and Chanyeol obeys with whispering a quiet hello. "Want some wine?“

"No, thank you. I’m driving, so...“ Chanyeol answers, politely declining the offer, his voice trailing off. It’s only been ten seconds since he came, but he already wants to leave, not liking the atmosphere.

"Oh, I see. Still not wanting to get your own chauffeur... People might think you can’t afford one,“ yes, Chanyeol has already heard that. Millions of times, actually. He is lucky enough to hear it twice a week, at least. People might think, that's how his father starts almost every conversation.

"I’m sure they won’t, father,“ Chanyeol says and shifts in his seat, feeling uncomfortable under the intense gaze. 

The waiter that brings him a menu and asks if Chanyeol wants something to drink is truly a savior, Chanyeol thinks. The CEO thanks the waiter and says that he’s fine with mineral water before opening the menu and skipping to the page with food. At least now he doesn’t have to hold eye-contact with his father, his excuse being that he’s looking for something to order, even though Chanyeol already knows what he wants.

I was kinda expecting that you’ll take me to one of these fancy restaurants where even water would cost me fortune. Baekhyun's words pop up in Chanyeol's head suddenly, and for a second, he's back to having dinner with the brunet and enjoying his warm company while eating delicious food. Instead of wondering why he remembered about Baekhyun while doing something as simple as ordering water, Chanyeol starts wondering if Baekhyun would like it here. Yes, the water really costs a lot considering it's just water, but the restaurant looks nice. Maybe he can take Baekhyun here as an apolo-  

"I believe that your mother already talked to you about your latest scandal,“ his father father's voice brings him back to reality. The urge to snort is extremely strong, but Chanyeol pushes it down, knowing he can’t do that in front of his father. Scandal? His father calls the photos from a dinner a scandal? When Chanyeol was caught making out with a boy in an alley, that was a scandal. But having an innocent dinner with someone? Far from a scandal, if you ask Chanyeol.

Still, he can‘t tell that to his father.

"Yes, she did,“ Chanyeol mumbles.

"That’s good, I’m glad that it’s out of the way. We have to talk about more serious things than your fooling around,“ his father puts the glass with wine down as he starts, and Chanyeol knows that the man wants him to put the menu down for a while and give him all the attention, so Chanyeol does.

"I’m listening.“

"Our business partner from China invited us for his wife’s birthday party, and to keep good relations between our companies, we will attend. I’ll send someone to pick you and your mother up at five in the evening, and I expect you to be ready to go by then,“ the man says with a neutral expression, not leaving any room for argument. Chanyeol just stares at him in surprise, not believing that his father didn’t tell him in advance, but only hours before the flight.

"How long we’ll be staying?“ Chanyeol asks instead of protesting, knowing very well that he doesn’t stand a chance against his father.

"The celebration is tomorrow, and then we have a meeting with Zhaxiao Group on Wednesday. However, we’ll be staying until Saturday evening because your mother has business in China, too,“ his father explains, and Chanyeol chokes on his spit when he hears that they won’t be back until Saturday. That’s too long. Jongdae is perfectly capable of handling the company while Chanyeol’s away, so that’s not a problem, and it wouldn’t even be the first time Jongdae is put in charge during Chanyeol’s absence. The issue here is that Chanyeol has yet to apologize to Baekhyun, and he hoped that if Baekhyun accepted his apology, the CEO could make up the ruined Sunday night to him somehow. But he can’t do that if he’s in China.

"But I–“

"Stop using but to start a sentence, I hate it. It’s pathetic,“ his father cuts him off, frowning at his son with disgust. "Besides, this is a perfect opportunity for you to practise your Chinese.“

Chanyeol clenches his teeth and picks up the menu again, going through the food instead of continuing the conversation. His Chinese is practically perfect, since he started learning when he was only eleven years old, but it’s still not good enough to his father, of course.

Arguing would be pointless now because Chanyeol needs to calm down first and think of the right arguments in order to not blurt out something that would only anger his father. He wants this lunch to be as peaceful as it can be, after all.

 

--

 

Arriving at Twenty at seven o’clock, Baekhyun lets out a deep exhale when he throws his jacket into the locker, not even bothering to hang it. Since this morning he’s been feeling strange and more tired than usual. He’s always sleepy, but it feels different this time.

Fortunately, the restaurant was closed today so he didn't have to go to work, and so Baekhyun spent Monday in bed, becoming a human burrito as he wrapped himself in his blanket, thankful that he was able to sleep more and get some rest, since he had troubles falling asleep yesterday. When he woke up to eat something for lunch a few hours later, his head started hurting so much that he almost dropped the food because of the intense throbbing of his skull, even though he was rather well rested and felt a lot better than in the morning.

Baekhyun wonders for a short while if Chanyeol came to the restaurant today as well, but he pushes the thoughts of the CEO to the back of his head immediately, not wanting to think about the man.   

Maybe I have a cold or something, Baekhyun thinks as he walks over to the mirror, stealing a hair brush from Jongin’s locker and fixing his hair that was standing in hundred different directions because of the wind. After his hair is done, he puts some make up on his face, trying to hide the circles under his eyes that has returned again and the paleness of his skin. It’s not perfect, but it’s enough for the club’s lighting.

He takes a deep breath, and with the one last look at his reflection in the mirror, Baekhyun leaves the changing room and heads for the bar. There aren’t almost any people yet, since the club only opens at seven, and the first few customers that entered the club are heading straight to the booths, wanting to have a place to rest with their friends when they’ll be too tired to dance.

He cringes at the music blaring through the speakers, his head hurting even more as the loud tunes get to his ears. Imagining that he’ll have to deal with it until two in the morning is killing him inside.  

"Baekhyun–... you look terrible, dude,“ Jongin greets him with a compliment when Baekhyun takes his place behind the pult, joining his best friend whose eyes are scanning Baekhyun’s face.

"I’m glad to see you too, Jongin,“ Baekhyun says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Looking at Jongin, the man looks as perfect as always, his hair perfectly styled and his bronze skin glistening in the ty lighting of the club. It will be a surprise if someone gives the order to Baekhyun who looks like he’s barely keeping himself alive instead of the gorgeous Jongin.

"You told me it was nothing on the phone, and yet–“

"It doesn’t have anything to do with Sunday night,“ Baekhyun interrupts Jongin mid-sentence, sighing deeply as he leans against the pult, closing his eyes for a bit. The neon lights aren’t doing his eyes any good with how bright they are. "I probably just caught a cold, but I’m fine.“

"You should be at home then, not at work,“ Jongin frowns, walking over to Baekhyun and putting his palm on Baekhyun’s forehead, checking the smaller man’s temperature. His hand is swatted away immediately, but the millisecond of the skin contact is enough for Jongin’s eyes going wide with the realization that Baekhyun indeed has a fever. Not very high, but fever nonetheless.

"I’m telling you; I’m fine,“ Baekhyun growls. "It’s not like it’s the first time I have a cold, Jongin.“

"I know it’s not, but it still doesn’t make it any more okay for you to be working when you’re sick!“ his best friend raises his voice, and when the realization that there are people who could hear them, he lowers his voice before speaking again. "Why can’t you take care of yourself properly, just once?“

"I’m taking care of myself. It’s not like I can have a say in getting a cold, alright?“

"You can actually. You don’t catch a cold when you’re taking care of your health!“

"Oh, really? Then–“

"Alright you two, stop arguing. The customers are coming, and I don’t want them to see you like that,“ their boss appears out of nowhere, her voice not exactly loud but somehow so authoritative that it’s enough for both of them to shut up and bow before saying their apologies.

"And Byun, if you are sick, you should stay home,“ she says before turning on her heel and walking away, walking the stairs to the VIP section on her high heels, swinging her hips along the way. "Your boyfriend would take care of your for sure."

"W-What is she talking about?" Baekhyun asks with a light stutter, turning to Jongin with wide eyes, looking for some kind of explanation. When Jongin looks away nervously after hearing Baekhyun's question, the brunet knows that something's wrong. Urging Jongin to tell him, Baekhyun moves closer to his friend and blinks up at him with curiosity.

"Uhm... Well..." Jongin gestures with his hand vaguely, looking anywhere but at Baekhyun. "There might be some... pictures on the internet from your friendly dinner yesterday."

"Wha- ," Baekhyun groans and covers his face with his hands, pulling at his hair a little. He remembers that there were photos from last time, but nobody recognized him then. How good must the quality of the photos be if his boss could recognize him easily?

"I haven't told you because yesterday you didn't want to even talk about it, and I wasn't sure how would you react," Jongin says quickly in one breath, and Baekhyun barely catches what his friend has just said, but the little he heard is anything is enough.

"I've told you already, I'm fine. But god, people now think that I'm dating-"

"You should be more concerned about your health, you know," Jongin cuts him off.

"We are not having this conversation,“ Baekhyun warns with a raised finger, narrowing his eyes at his best friend. They stare into each others‘ eyes for a moment, Jongin frowning at the brunet while pouting, which is rather cute if someone asked Baekhyun. After a while, the taller lets out a deep sigh, running a hand through his hair in frustration and breaking the eye-contact.

"Why don’t you listen to me, just once?“

Baekhyun just looks down at his feet, running a hand through his hair in frustration. The way Jongin’s voice breaks at the end of the sentence is breaking his heart, and Baekhyun feels guilty for worrying his best friend so much. "I’ll take a day off if you insist so much. It’s just that I really felt alright a few hours ago, and you know how boss hates it when we tell her we can’t come to work hours before out shift.“

Baekhyun hates lying, but it’s the only way to lessen Jongin’s worry. He can’t ven begin to imagine what Jongin would do if Baekhyun told him that he's been feeling like dying since he woke up in the morning. It wouldn’t even come as a surprise if Jongin threw him out of the club and called Kyungsoo to pick his best friend up, saying that he can manage working at the bar alone for one night. After all, it has already happened once.

"You shouldn’t do it just because I’m telling you to. You should be smart enough to know you can’t work if you’re sick,“ Jongin says, biting his lower lip. He looks like a puppy kicked out of home, and Baekhyun’s heart melts at the sight. 

"Fine, I get it... Let’s just drop the subject now, okay?“ Baekhyun smiles at Jongin, the headache momentarily forgotten. He should just man up and deal with this cold or whatever it is, not wanting to make Jongin worry more.

"Okay,“ Jongin eventually says, giving Baekhyun a small smile on his own.

Then, the first customer comes, and not so long after the black-haired girl, there are more and more people ordering drinks, making both Baekhyun and Jongin busy. Even though the topic is finally dropped, Baekhyun can feel Jongin’s gaze on him with every move he makes, like if Baekhyun was about to faint, Jongin will make sure to catch the man before he hits the ground.

He truly doesn’t deserve a friend like Jongin, being as heartless as he was told he is.

 

--

 

Baekhyun feels like the whole time, but he can’t help smiling in Jongin’s company. It’s Monday, and there usually aren’t that many people on the first day of the week, so they have time to crack jokes the whole time, making each other laugh. It’s mostly Jongin who’s desperately trying to cheer Baekhyun up, seeing past the layers of fake happiness and feeling the need make Baekhyun forget about all the things that are making him sad.

To Baekhyun’s biggest surprise, there is a guy who tries to hit on Baekhyun today as well, probably overlooking the fact that Baekhyun looks horrible as . Baekhyun truly appreciates that someone spares him a glance even when he looks half-dead, but he turns the man down anyway, but offers him a free drink so he won’t feel too bad about the rejection.

After an hour, Baekhyun gets used to the loud music and his head doesn’t hurt as much as at the beginning of his shift, but the occasional pain that makes him cringe is present. Jongin notices it the second time Baekhyun has to pause while making drinks, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly before he continues doing his work, and his best friend doesn’t hesitate for a second before running to their locker room and bringing Baekhyun painkillers, urging him to swallow them with a glass of water.

Apart from feeling more tired than usual, he’s pretty okay. He doesn’t even feel feverish anymore, but Jongin still keeps an eye on him the whole time to make sure Baekhyun’s doing fine. There is a silent question in Jongin’s eyes, but he doesn’t say anything. For now, that is. Baekhyun knows that Jongin’s dying to know what happened yesterday, what made Baekhyun sound so sad on the other side of the line. To be honest, Baekhyun doesn’t feel like talking about it, but Jongin won’t let it go for sure, and on the top of that, Baekhyun has already promised Jongin that he will tell him everything today after work. Since they are on cleaning duty together today, Jongin will have plenty of time to get Baekhyun to spill the beans, anyway.

Baekhyun doesn’t know if today’s shift seems to end faster because he’s half asleep the whole time, but he’s thankful to higher powers nonetheless, desperate to go home and rest. The amazing feeling when the club is empty of people and the music is turned off doesn’t last long though.

"So, about yesterday...“ Jongin trails off, looking at Baekhyun expectantly as he brings brooms for both of them. He hesitates before giving it to Baekhyun, "If you’re not feeling well, I can do it myself.“

But Baekhyun just rolls his eyes and takes one of the brooms from Jongin’s hands, assuring him that he’s not going to die because of a few minutes of cleaning. "What about yesterday?“

"Don’t play dumb with me, Baek.“

"I’ve already told you though... The dinner was good, and Chanyeol even paid for me and took me home,“ Baekhyun says while sweeping the floor, not even looking at Jongin as he talks. He wants to get this over with as soon as possible and finally go home and bury himself in his warm blanket.

"Baekhyun, come on,“ letting out a groan, Jongin joins Baekhyun and starts cleaning as well, but not before letting Baekhyun know that he wants him to start talking with a fierce look. "Why were you sad?“

"I wasn’t sad, I was disappointed... and maybe a bit angry,“ Baekhyun corrects him right away. However, his best friend doesn’t look like he believes him.

"But what has Chanyeol done that it made you angry, then?“ Jongin pushes, not letting Baekhyun to drop the topic before he squeezes the information he wants to hear out of the brunet. Putting an emphasis on the word angry, Baekhyun knows that Jongin sees right through his bull.

"Jesus, he tried to kiss me after driving me home! Even after I told him that I’m not gonna have with him, and the jerk promised not to try anything!“ Baekhyun exclaims loudly, getting strange looks from his co-workers that are either heading home or are on cleaning duty at different parts of the club. The glances don’t go unnoticed, and Baekhyun makes sure to keep his voice low when he speaks again, telling Jongin to be quiter too.

"So, you were angry because he tried to kiss you? That’s all?“ Jongin questions. He knows everything about Baekhyun’s insecurities and fears, knows about Baekhyun’s promise that he made to himself and about the cruel things that Siwoon said a few months ago, but Jongin still feels that there is something Baekhyun’s not telling him. Baekhyun didn’t sound angry yesterday, he sounded like he’s going to cry every second. There is more to it than what Baekhyun is telling him.

"I–... It’s–...“ Baekhyun doesn’t know how to answer because Jongin’s tone sceptical, meaning that Jongin doesn’t believe him and lying to him would probably be pointless. The problem is, Baekhyun doesn’t know how to voice his thoughts, still unable to create sentences out of his feelings that would make sense if they are said out loud, not just in his head.

"You know you can tell me everything, Baek. We’re best friends, I want to know what‘s troubling you,“ Jongin takes a step toward Baekhyun in order to get closer, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. Baekhyun should already know that Jongin wants to help Baekhyun with everything he can, he shouldn’t even be saying it to him right now. It should be clear that if Baekhyun needs someone to talk to, Jongin is always here for him. "Should I find that jerk and beat him up to make you feel better?“

"It’s not his fault,“ Baekhyun whispers, shaking off Jongin's hand and busying himself with sweeping the floor. 

"Oh, really?“

"It’s my fault, Jongin. Because even though I knew why he was spending time with me, I let myself believe that isn’t all he wants from me. I thought, for a moment, that Chanyeol’s with me because of... me,“ Baekyun laughs humorlessly, gripping the broom tighter as he speaks. It still hurts when he thinks about it because he always remembers that Siwoon was actually right about everything, and talking about it to Jongin is killing him more than the horrible headache.

"How do you know that all he wants is–“

"It’s clear. It’s been clear from the first time, and yet I made myself forgot just because he played nicely for a second,“ Baekhyun bites his lower lip, his mind going back to when Chanyeol brought coffee for him when he was tired and cracked that stupid joke a few days ago, and also back to yesterday evening. If he didn’t feel so sad about the whole situation, Baekhyun would smile at the memory of him arguing with Chanyeol over pineapples on pizza.

Jongin opens his mouth to speak again, not expecting Baekhyun to continue talking, seeing how difficult it is for his friend to get the words out, but to not only Jongin's surprise but to Baekhyun's too, the brunet continues, "You wouldn’t even believe how much I hate myself for still thinking about it. I shouldn’t dwell on it so much, there is no reason to when I don’t even know him... But I felt so good in his company, and it’s so frustrating because he was pretending all along, and I was stupid enough to fall for it.“

"Baekhyun...“

"I also hate that he’s my ideal type,“ Jongin for reminding him of that a week or two ago. Baekhyun suddenly doesn’t know how to shut his mouth, the words falling out of his mouth before Baekhyun can even think them over. He wants to stop because he doesn’t like sounding so pathetic when he talks about a person he doesn’t know, a person he shouldn’t even care about, but he can't. "I hate it because he attracts me so damn much, and I don’t want to around anymore. I don’t want to break that damn promise, Jongin. I don't want to feel like some cheap again, and–“

"Stop thinking about what that jerk has said! He’s just said it because he was bitter that you broke up with him!“ Jongin says angrily, spitting the words out but not daring to raise his voice too much. They attracted enough attention for today.

"He was right, and you know it too, Jongin,“ turning to him, Baekhyun stops cleaning and just stares intensely into Jongin’s eyes, expecting to see the disgust Jongin must feel toward him, but strangely, he doesn’t see it in the brown orbs. There are many emotions reflecting in his friend’s eyes, but judgement and disgust isn’t on the list.

"It wasn’t true,“ Jongin says sternly, his brows furrowed and tone serious. They’ve had this conversation so many times, but no matter how hard Jongin’s trying to get the fact that Siwoon is just a  who likes to talk crap when he’s had too much liquor through Baekhyun’s thick head, his efforts are always useless.  

"Chanyeol is–“

"Chanyeol is a guy who wants to sleep with you because you’re attractive, Baekhyun. Why are you so triggered by it when you get offers like these every day? And him wanting to you doesn’t mean he doesn’t like your company,“ as a whole, Baekhyun is a very likable person in Jongin’s opinion, and he can’t imagine that someone wouldn’t like Baekhyun’s company, honestly. Jongin doesn’t know a single person in his life that didn’t like Baekhyun right after meeting him for the first time.

"You weren’t there, you can’t know that,“ Baekhyun hisses, not believing Jongin for a second. Of course Jongin would say nice things to him, they are best friends, and Jongin wouldn’t want Baekhyun to be sad about facing reality – the said reality being that it was all for pretend, and Chanyeol was laughing at him internally for the whole time yesterday.  

"And you can’t either because you don’t see into his head,“ without letting Baekhyun say anything, Jongin continues. "When I was hitting on Kyungsoo literally every second three years ago, he could think about me the same way you–“

"That’s completely different, idiot. You were trying to get him to date you, and Chanyeol is trying to get me . That's a pretty big difference, don't you think?“ Baekhyun rolls his eyes at Jongin’s bad example, shaking his head in dismissal as he gets back to cleaning, remembering that if their boss saw them chatting instead of doing their jobs once again, they’d be doomed.

"Okay, point taken, but still. I asked Kyungsoo if Jongdae ever talks to him about Chanyeol–“

"Oh, God.“

"–and among many things, Jongdae said that Chanyeol is a horrible actor. Like, really. So if he looked like he was having fun yesterday, it was most probably genuine.“

"Yeah, whatever, just let’s clean up and go home already,“ although Baekhyun tries to sound disinterested, he’s freaking out inside. The warm feeling spreading through his body can’t be ignored, and Baekhyun doesn’t like it in the slightest. Having a small bit of hope that what Jongin has said might be true is actually making Baekhyun feel a little better, but what if the information is false after all? Giving himself false hopes is stupid.

"Fine,“ Jongin huffs, frustrated. Seeing that Baekhyun has ended the conversation for today, he adds. "But we’re not done.“

Baekhyun just snorts and continues sweeping the floor.

 

--

 

In the end, Baekhyun doesn't take a day off from work, even though he told Jongin that he will. Not wanting to worry Jongin, Baekhyun tells him that he's feeling better every single time Jongin asks about his condition, and Baekhyun is left feeling guilty for lying to his friend and pretending that the cold is slowly going away because truth be told, he feels worse every day.

On Tuesday, he stayed in bed the whole time, drinking hot tea while being wrapped in his blanket. He had been sleeping until it was time to leave for work in the evening, and the weather was so bad that he wanted to turn around and go back to his flat so bad, but he didn't. And maybe that's why he had a fever so high when he came from work, having to walk home while the wind was blowing so strongly it almost swept him off his feet.

When Wednesday came, Baekhyun felt just a little bit better than on Tuesday, but not by much. He still had fever and his whole body was on fire, but his head didn't hurt as much as the previous days. Aside from feeling extremely hot, moving around wasn't as hard as before, too. However, his eyes wouldn't stop tearing up, which caused his vision to become a little blurred, and it took a lot of effort for Baekhyun to keep them open with how much they stung, like there were knives under his eyelids which were cutting his eyeballs every time he blinked. The neon lights at the club didn't really help.

Long story short, Baekhyun feels like , but he tries his best to hide it at work, not wanting Jongin or Kyungsoo see how bad his cold has become thorough the days. Although Baekhyun might not take care of himself properly, as his friends like to remind him, he doesn't catch a cold easily. And if he does, it usually lasts one or two days, but never more. It's been already four days and the cold is not going away, it's only getting worse.

He doesn't work on Saturdays, so if he takes a day off tomorrow, both at the restaurant and the club, Baekhyun will have two days to recover before his shift on Sunday. Normally, he has a shift at the restaurant on Friday, but his Wednesday and Friday shift got switched, and since he got a day off from restaurant on Wednesday, he has to work tomorrow. Then, Baekhyun remembers he can't take a day off from restaurant tomorrow because Friday is the day he has to decide and tell his boss if he's taking the full-time job offer or not. Even though it's been a week already, Baekhyun couldn't decide if he wants to work full-time here or not. Looks like he'll spend the night thinking it over once again before he makes the final decision. 

"Eat up," Kyungsoo says and puts a plate with a small chocolate cake in front of Baekhyun, forcing the fork into Baekhyun's hand, not giving Baekhyun a choice. Honestly, Baekhyun would never say no to something Kyungsoo has made, so the cook doesn't have to force him. 

Baekhyun eyes the cake before taking a piece and asks, "I don't remember eating this one before."

"Because it's new. You're the first one to try it, so tell me what you think," Kyungsoo replies and pushes the fork with a piece of cake that Baekhyun's holding closer to the brunet's mouth, ushering him to finally taste it. Baekhyun doesn't hesitate and puts the cake in his mouth already, savoring the sweet and creamy taste on his tongue, closing his eyes as he swallows it down. He takes another piece into his mouth just a second later, this time a bigger one, and hums approvingly, giving Kyungsoo a thumbs up, his mouth full.

"It's so ing good," Baekhyun manages to say when his mouth is empty, already preparing to cut off another piece. "You're really amazing, Soo."

"You're always saying the same thing," Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, taking the fork from Baekhyun's hand when it's just a milimeter away from his mouth. The protests that follow fall on deaf ears as Kyungsoo takes a bite of his own creation, cringing afterwards and returning the fork to Baekhyun. "Too creamy."

"It's perfect, I don't know what you're talking about," Baekhyun shakes his head and frown at Kyungsoo. The guy is talking nonsense, the cake is so amazing that Baekhyun could forget about all his problems while eating it, really. Too creamy, bull. It's simply amazing.

"Whatever. Go back to work after you're done," with that being said, Kyungsoo turns around and goes back to kitchen, leaving Baekhyun alone again, just like that. Baekhyun doesn't mind though, paying his full attention to the awesome cake. It's always an honor to be the first one who tries Kyungsoo's new recipes. 

Just as Baekhyun's done with the cake and stands up from his chair to return the plate and the fork to kitchen, the door to the restaurant opens, which catches Baekhyun's attention. He turns around to see the new customers, and he's surprised to see that the newcomers are Jongin with Jongdae who are chatting with smiles on their faces as they walk in.

"What are you two doing here?" Baekhyun asks as they come closer, forgetting to greet them first due to the shock of seeing them here. Jongdae doesn't come to the restaurant as often as before, and it's always quite a surprise to see him there, and Jongin is supposed to have a dance practise at this hour, so it's understandable that Baekhyun didn't expect neither of them here, nor them coming to the restaurant together, side by side.

"Hello to you too, yes," Jongdae chuckles and Jongin copies his expression before greeting Baekhyun with a hug.

"Feeling better?" Jongin immediately asks, his eyes scanning the brunet's face with concern.

When Baekhyun nods instead of saying yes, Jongdae butts in, "You look horrible. I'm sure you feel horrible too."

"I'm fine, really," Baekhyun tries his best to give both of his friends a reassuring smile, hoping that they will ignore the way his eyes are glistening in the day light, along with the black bags under his eyes too. 

"If you think so," Jongin sighs as he cranes his neck to look somewhere behind Baekhyun. "Is Kyungsoo busy?" 

Baekhyun can't help the smile that forms on his lips when he sees Jongin's expression. "Not really, we don't have many customers today. I'll call him for you."

"I'm going to find a seat," Jongdae turns around and looks around the restaurant, trying to find a suitable seat because his table is already occupied by an old couple. Baekhyun just nods and tells Jongdae that he'll take his order in a minute before disappearing into the kitchen, calling out for Kyungsoo.

"Your boyfriend's here," he announces when Kyungsoo asks what he needs. 

"I'm taking a break. Yugyeom, you're in charge," Kyungsoo says and doesn't spare Baekhyun another glance as he storms out of the kitchen, throwing himself into Jongin's arms the moment he sees the younger man. Baekhyun watches the two lovers from a small kitchen window, smiling fondly at the sight of Jongin's bright smile that is mirrored by Kyungsoo's own. It's funny how Kyungsoo is literally the devil himself, but whenever Jongin's with him, he turns into the most adorable human being. 

Baekhyun puts the plate with the fork into the sink and leaves the kitchen as well, searching for Jongdae and ignoring Jongin and Kyungsoo who are now in their own world full of love and happiness, full of things and emotions Baekhyun has never experienced. If someone said that Baekhyun doesn't want to look at him because of envy, they would be right. 

His breath hitches in his throat when his eyes fall on Jongdae who is sitting near the window, typing on his mobile. But now, he's not alone. Chanyeol's with him. Park ing Chanyeol is sitting right across the table from Jongdae, and now he's looking straight at Baekhyun who stands in the middle of the restaurant, frozen in place. His heart starts beating faster immediately and Baekhyun's breathing becomes more irregular and erratic. 

This can't be happening. There are so many restaurants in Seoul, and yet the er decides to eat here where Baekhyun works, knowing very well that Baekhyun's going to be here, his shift not ending for another hour. Why is Chanyeol here? What does he want.

Remembering that no matter who the customer is, it's Baekhyun's job to take their order, the brunet hesitantly takes a step toward Jongdae's and Chanyeol's table, forcing his legs to move. He feels rather uncomfortable and uneasy as Chanyeol's eyes are watching him and nothing else, and Baekhyun just wants to disappear and never come back. Although Baekhyun told Jongin that he's okay and not thinking about the Sunday night, the brunet is not yet ready to see Chanyeol again. Truth be told, he has expected to never see Chanyeol again.

The closer he gets, the worse he feels. His heart is hammering in his chest like crazy, and Baekhyun prays to whoever it is up there that nobody can't hear the sound of his heart beating so quickly, because the sound is rather loud in Baekhyun's ears. His palms are starting to sweat so much that Baekhyun wouldn't be surprised if it slipped from his hand and fell on the floor. 

Suddenly, his head start hurting too. Maybe it's because there are so many voices in it, screaming over one another loudly, trying to find an answer to the question Baekhyun's repeating in his mind over and over again. 

Why are you here, Chanyeol?  

The moment he's standing right in front of Chanyeol, his whole body feels like it's on fire, and the way Chanyeol doesn't look away from him is not helping at all.

"W-Welcome to Mansae," Baekhyun can't help but stumbling over his words. "What can I... What can I get you?"

These words are what most of the days in Baekhyun's life consist of, and yet he has hard time remembering the two practised-to-perfection sentences that he's greeting the customers with.

"Ah, Baekhyun, you're here," Jongdae smiles at him, but his smile is tense, almost apologetic. And then it hits Baekhyun - Jongdae planned this, and now he feels guilty for doing it after seeing how shaken Baekhyun is. Baekhyun just doesn't understand why. Jongdae was all against Chanyeol as much as looking at Baekhyun, so what exactly is this? 

"Hi," hearing the deep voice from his left, Baekhyun clutches the notepad and pen in his hand tighter, not daring to turn his head and look at the owner of the voice. The anger Baekhyun felt deep inside is now crawling its way to the surface, and Baekhyun just wants to punch Chanyeol so hard that it'll leave a bruise for acting so casual, greeting Baekhyun with a ing hi after what happened on Sunday. Like they are friends. What a joke.

"Kyungsoo's having a break though, if you came here for his cooking," Baekhyun says, appearing like he doesn't care about Chanyeol's presence, even though he's freaking out inside. Why did Jongdae go along with whatever this is? Jongdae's supposed to be his friend, he is supposed to know that he wouldn't want to see Chanyeol after Sunday. 

"Yeah, I know," Jongade's eyes flicker to Jongin and Kyungsoo who are talking together behind the counter, Jongin explaining something with enthusiasm and Kyungsoo just nodding to everything Jongin says. "I'll just have something simple today, like black noodles. He'll have the same."

"But-"

"He'll have the same," Jongdae cuts Chanyeol off, not leaving him to finish the sentence. Baekhyun just nods, his hands trebling slightly as he writes down the order, his handwriting messy, like it's the first time he's writing something. 

"Anything to drink?" Baekhyun asks. Feeling Chanyeol's burning gaze on Baekhyun, the CEO practically begging him to look at him too, the brunet feels even more feverish. Stress isn't doing any good to Baekhyun's condition. 

"Just water," Jongdae answers, briefly glancing at Chanyeol before turning his eyes to Baekhyun. Now Baekhyun can clearly see the I'm sorry in Jongdae's eyes. 

Baekhyun doesn't know if it's because of the intensity of Chanyeol's gaze or something else, but as Baekhyun turns around to give the order to Yugyeom, he can't help but look at the CEO, even if the eye-contact only lasts for a mere second. It still feels like forever though, when their eyes meet. With just one short look into Chanyeol's eyes, Baekhyun's mind returns to that dinner on Sunday, to Chanyeol's loud laugh and stupid jokes, and Baekhyun feels like breaking down right here and now because the memories of that night are just reminding him of how stupid he was to think that someone like Chanyeol could ever want something more than from someone as ordinary as Baekhyun. And it hurts so much.

"I'll-I'll be back in a short while," Baekhyun gets out, walking away from the table quickly, ignoring Jongin's concerned voice and Kyungsoo what's wrong? as he stumbles into kitchen. He tears the page with Jongdae's and Chanyeol's order from his notepad and throws it to Yugyeom, pouring water into two glasses with shaky hands. 

He doesn't want to go back, and he doesn't want to see Chanyeol again. But it's his job, and he won't abandon it because of personal problems. Baekhyun's strong. He can do this. He lived through the encounter with Siwoon, and the man was his ex-boyfriend. Dealing with a stranger shouldn't be a problem.

And yet, Baekhyun's heart still beats faster than it should, and he feels too hot for it to be normal. His headache returned in a matter of seconds, and is stronger than ever, and now even his stomach hurts weirdly. 

It's just from stress, Baekhyun tells himself. Nothing to worry about. It'll go away. 

He just has to calm down. 

Calm down, calm down, calm the down. 

Taking the two glasses, now full with cold water, Baekhyun starts heading out of the kitchen, but after just two steps, his vision starts getting blurry and he has to stop and lean against a wall to steady himself.

"Hey, hyung, are you alright?" one of the cooks asks, their voice full of worry. Baekhyun supposes he would be worried as well if he saw someone leaning against a wall, breathing heavily with their eyes closed.

"I'm okay," Baekhyun answers and pushes himself away from the wall, careful not to spill the water. He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly.

What's wrong with me? 

After a few seconds Baekhyun feels a bit better and takes a careful step toward the kitchen door, tasting the waters. When he feels like his world isn't spinning with every movement, he opens the door with his leg, which Baekhyun soon realizes was a very bad idea. He loses his balance and almost falls, his legs feeling like jelly, but he manages to keep himself from falling. Or rather, Jongin's arms that are firmly holding him up kept him from falling.

"Baekhyun!" 

"Baek, what the ?! What's wrong?" both Jongin and Kyungsoo are by his side in a second. Kyungsoo takes the glasses out of his hands while Jongin is helping him stand because Baekhyun's legs don't cooperate with his brain and his whole body feels to heavy. 

"It's nothing," Baekhyun wants to wave it off, but his voice comes out as a quiet whisper, which surprises even Baekhyun himself. 

"Well, it's obviously something," Kyungsoo says. "You have to sit down, quickly."

In the distance, Baekhyun can hear the chatter of the customers who are craning their necks and standing up from their chairs just to see what's happening, and Baekhyun feels uncomfortable as he feels so many eyes on him. He tries to push Jongin away so he can prove that he's just fine and can stand on his own. However, Jongin doesn't let go.

"No, I'm really..." but Baekhyun's voice trails off as his vision starts to blur once again, and his legs give out completely. Baekhyun ends up falling into Jongin's arms, his body limp against his best friend's chest.

"Baekhyun!" he hears another voice, and after a few seconds of trying to find out who the blurred out person calling his name is, he realizes it's Jongdae who is no longer seated behind his table with Chanyeol. His friend is standing just a meter away from him, looking at him with wide-eyes. And he's not alone. The person by Jongdae's side is much taller than Jongdae or Kyungsoo, and Baekhyun doesn't have to have the highest IQ to tell it's Chanyeol, even in this state. There are not many people as tall as that stupid giant.

"Talk to me, Baek, come on," Jongin says pleadingly as he sinks to the floor with Baekhyun in his arms, holding him with care.

And Baekhyun opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out.

Why? Baekhyun asks himself, trying to speak up again and failing miserably. Why can't I talk? 

Everything starts to get darker, and Baekhyun has a hard time keeping his eyes open, his eyelids feeling too heavy.

"Hey, Baekhyun!"

"Can you hear me, Baek?"   

The voices full of panic are slowly fading into distance as Baekhyun gives up on keeping his eyes open. He feels abnormally hot and he just wants to strip off his skin because it's burning him, but it's impossible to do that. His heart doesn't slow down and his breathing doesn't seem to be coming back to normal anytime soon, but as he closes his eyes, darkness welcoming him with open arms, everything seems to be better. 

The moment he relaxes, everything stops hurting. His body doesn't feel hot anymore, his limbs and eyelids aren't as heavy as before but light as feathers, and the throbbing of his skull is nothing but a dull pain.

"No, no, no, open your eyes, please."

"Somebody call an ambulance!"

It doesn't take long for Baekhyun to lose consciousness completely, and after a short while, the voices yelling his name and pleas to open his eyes become inaudible.